What's the best Amex and non-Amex credit card combination

Guesthouse

Hmmm. Sort of the question I was looking to ask, so I'll start a fresh thread.
I still find AMEX accepted at enough of my shopping locations and have enough in my current account for even moderately big spends, but I'd like to have a backup CC for Section 75, online accounts (so at least a current account couldn't be emptied if it was compromised) and maybe overseas spend.

Emmia

WillPS said:

Emmia said:

WillPS said:

Olenna said:

Obviously this should be heavily caveated -  there is proven risk with Barclaycard Avios - BA already devalued Avios to Nectar conversions with little notice. They could further devalue or pull the conversion entirety with zero comeback to the Barclaycard Avios holder as the award is Avios points not Nectar points directly.

You're right, there is a risk, but it can be mitigated by turning on autoconvert. Points are paid out monthly on the second working day, and both times the conversion rate has been nerfed sufficient notice has been provided that points for rewards earned on existing spend to work its way through to Nectar, save for any 'loose change'.

In general all airline rewards will be devalued over time too at the whim of whoever partakes in the scheme. 

I prefer earning straight up Nectar to Avios because the standard redemption rate has been static since the scheme launched over 2 decades ago, but of course they could change that too; I would hope to be given sufficient notice to spend them all if the rate were to change negatively.

Cashback options are available if you prefer - but even then there's nothing to stop your issuer from changing the scheme in any way they like (including withdrawing it completely) so long as they give sufficient notice.

You can only play the cards in your hand.

Personally I prefer cashback to nectar or avios -  I don't really shop in Sainsbury's and don't use airlines that take avios.

You do you, but it's worth pointing out that it's a (very common!) falsehood that you need to shop regularly at Sainsbury's/Argos for Nectar points to be of value. This myth is perpetuated even by MSE's editorial, unfortunately.

All you need is to be able to spend very occasionally at Sainsbury's or Argos - i.e. a trip to a Sainsbury's filling station 2 or 3 times a year, or a purchase of a new phone every few years at Argos (only if they're close to the best price, of course).

I believe you can also purchase branded gift cards at Sainsbury's using Nectar points.

One other advantage of the Nectar Amex over Cashback ones is the very regular payouts with the Nectar Amex (several times a month) vs the very rigid annual Amex payout.

There's definitely pro's and con's to both.

I never buy petrol/diesel (no car) and in the last decade I think I've bought one thing in Argos.

I buy my phones from John Lewis as generally I've found customer service is better. 

So,  for my situation cashback is better for me, but for your situation points are better.

Afwx

This dropped through the post today. Look at the APR!!!! 701.4%!!! Not a mistake, it is repeated inside too! BE CAREFUL, there are much cheaper cards around!!

Emmia

Afwx said:

This dropped through the post today. Look at the APR!!!! 701.4%!!! Not a mistake, it is repeated inside too! BE CAREFUL, there are much cheaper cards around!!

But the APR is irrelevant if you pay it off in full every month.

WillPS

Emmia said:

WillPS said:

Emmia said:

WillPS said:

Olenna said:

Obviously this should be heavily caveated -  there is proven risk with Barclaycard Avios - BA already devalued Avios to Nectar conversions with little notice. They could further devalue or pull the conversion entirety with zero comeback to the Barclaycard Avios holder as the award is Avios points not Nectar points directly.

You're right, there is a risk, but it can be mitigated by turning on autoconvert. Points are paid out monthly on the second working day, and both times the conversion rate has been nerfed sufficient notice has been provided that points for rewards earned on existing spend to work its way through to Nectar, save for any 'loose change'.

In general all airline rewards will be devalued over time too at the whim of whoever partakes in the scheme. 

I prefer earning straight up Nectar to Avios because the standard redemption rate has been static since the scheme launched over 2 decades ago, but of course they could change that too; I would hope to be given sufficient notice to spend them all if the rate were to change negatively.

Cashback options are available if you prefer - but even then there's nothing to stop your issuer from changing the scheme in any way they like (including withdrawing it completely) so long as they give sufficient notice.

You can only play the cards in your hand.

Personally I prefer cashback to nectar or avios -  I don't really shop in Sainsbury's and don't use airlines that take avios.

You do you, but it's worth pointing out that it's a (very common!) falsehood that you need to shop regularly at Sainsbury's/Argos for Nectar points to be of value. This myth is perpetuated even by MSE's editorial, unfortunately.

All you need is to be able to spend very occasionally at Sainsbury's or Argos - i.e. a trip to a Sainsbury's filling station 2 or 3 times a year, or a purchase of a new phone every few years at Argos (only if they're close to the best price, of course).

I believe you can also purchase branded gift cards at Sainsbury's using Nectar points.

One other advantage of the Nectar Amex over Cashback ones is the very regular payouts with the Nectar Amex (several times a month) vs the very rigid annual Amex payout.

There's definitely pro's and con's to both.

I never buy petrol/diesel (no car) and in the last decade I think I've bought one thing in Argos.

I buy my phones from John Lewis as generally I've found customer service is better. 

So,  for my situation cashback is better for me, but for your situation points are better.

Clearly fuel and phones is not an exhaustive list do you ever spend at any of the many retailers Sainsburys sell gift cards for?

[Clearly the answer is yes, because one of those retailers is John Lewis....]

WillPS

Afwx said:

This dropped through the post today. Look at the APR!!!! 701.4%!!! Not a mistake, it is repeated inside too! BE CAREFUL, there are much cheaper cards around!!

APR is very misleading though, because it is based on the full cost of all fees and charges if £1200 is borrowed for one year. The annual fee of £650 completely distorts this. The purchase rate is "only" 30.4%.

Emmia

WillPS said:

Emmia said:

WillPS said:

Emmia said:

WillPS said:

Olenna said:

Obviously this should be heavily caveated -  there is proven risk with Barclaycard Avios - BA already devalued Avios to Nectar conversions with little notice. They could further devalue or pull the conversion entirety with zero comeback to the Barclaycard Avios holder as the award is Avios points not Nectar points directly.

You're right, there is a risk, but it can be mitigated by turning on autoconvert. Points are paid out monthly on the second working day, and both times the conversion rate has been nerfed sufficient notice has been provided that points for rewards earned on existing spend to work its way through to Nectar, save for any 'loose change'.

In general all airline rewards will be devalued over time too at the whim of whoever partakes in the scheme. 

I prefer earning straight up Nectar to Avios because the standard redemption rate has been static since the scheme launched over 2 decades ago, but of course they could change that too; I would hope to be given sufficient notice to spend them all if the rate were to change negatively.

Cashback options are available if you prefer - but even then there's nothing to stop your issuer from changing the scheme in any way they like (including withdrawing it completely) so long as they give sufficient notice.

You can only play the cards in your hand.

Personally I prefer cashback to nectar or avios -  I don't really shop in Sainsbury's and don't use airlines that take avios.

You do you, but it's worth pointing out that it's a (very common!) falsehood that you need to shop regularly at Sainsbury's/Argos for Nectar points to be of value. This myth is perpetuated even by MSE's editorial, unfortunately.

All you need is to be able to spend very occasionally at Sainsbury's or Argos - i.e. a trip to a Sainsbury's filling station 2 or 3 times a year, or a purchase of a new phone every few years at Argos (only if they're close to the best price, of course).

I believe you can also purchase branded gift cards at Sainsbury's using Nectar points.

One other advantage of the Nectar Amex over Cashback ones is the very regular payouts with the Nectar Amex (several times a month) vs the very rigid annual Amex payout.

There's definitely pro's and con's to both.

I never buy petrol/diesel (no car) and in the last decade I think I've bought one thing in Argos.

I buy my phones from John Lewis as generally I've found customer service is better. 

So,  for my situation cashback is better for me, but for your situation points are better.

Clearly fuel and phones is not an exhaustive list do you ever spend at any of the many retailers Sainsburys sell gift cards for?

[Clearly the answer is yes, because one of those retailers is John Lewis....]

Gift cards also aren't something I buy, you don't get S.75 protection and if the retailer goes bust, or the card expires you've lost the money. 

If I want to give someone the means to purchase something, I'll give them cash they can spend anywhere.

Personally I prefer cashback over points. If you prefer points, that's great.

sausage_time

+1 for Cashback here too.   I have used some of the Amex cashback offers too which has increased the overall return.

WillPS

Emmia said:

WillPS said:

Emmia said:

WillPS said:

Emmia said:

WillPS said:

Olenna said:

Obviously this should be heavily caveated -  there is proven risk with Barclaycard Avios - BA already devalued Avios to Nectar conversions with little notice. They could further devalue or pull the conversion entirety with zero comeback to the Barclaycard Avios holder as the award is Avios points not Nectar points directly.

You're right, there is a risk, but it can be mitigated by turning on autoconvert. Points are paid out monthly on the second working day, and both times the conversion rate has been nerfed sufficient notice has been provided that points for rewards earned on existing spend to work its way through to Nectar, save for any 'loose change'.

In general all airline rewards will be devalued over time too at the whim of whoever partakes in the scheme. 

I prefer earning straight up Nectar to Avios because the standard redemption rate has been static since the scheme launched over 2 decades ago, but of course they could change that too; I would hope to be given sufficient notice to spend them all if the rate were to change negatively.

Cashback options are available if you prefer - but even then there's nothing to stop your issuer from changing the scheme in any way they like (including withdrawing it completely) so long as they give sufficient notice.

You can only play the cards in your hand.

Personally I prefer cashback to nectar or avios -  I don't really shop in Sainsbury's and don't use airlines that take avios.

You do you, but it's worth pointing out that it's a (very common!) falsehood that you need to shop regularly at Sainsbury's/Argos for Nectar points to be of value. This myth is perpetuated even by MSE's editorial, unfortunately.

All you need is to be able to spend very occasionally at Sainsbury's or Argos - i.e. a trip to a Sainsbury's filling station 2 or 3 times a year, or a purchase of a new phone every few years at Argos (only if they're close to the best price, of course).

I believe you can also purchase branded gift cards at Sainsbury's using Nectar points.

One other advantage of the Nectar Amex over Cashback ones is the very regular payouts with the Nectar Amex (several times a month) vs the very rigid annual Amex payout.

There's definitely pro's and con's to both.

I never buy petrol/diesel (no car) and in the last decade I think I've bought one thing in Argos.

I buy my phones from John Lewis as generally I've found customer service is better. 

So,  for my situation cashback is better for me, but for your situation points are better.

Clearly fuel and phones is not an exhaustive list do you ever spend at any of the many retailers Sainsburys sell gift cards for?

[Clearly the answer is yes, because one of those retailers is John Lewis....]

Gift cards also aren't something I buy, you don't get S.75 protection and if the retailer goes bust, or the card expires you've lost the money. 

If I want to give someone the means to purchase something, I'll give them cash they can spend anywhere.

Personally I prefer cashback over points. If you prefer points, that's great.

Of course, you do you but to the OP and the casual lurker reading, it's important to know that shopping at Sainsburys/Argos anything more than occasionally is not necessary to get full value from Nectar points.

Arguably every single cashback/rewards credit card deal going could be beaten by an average purchase credit card, with stoozing. Obviously there's a lot more discipline required there than there might be with a cash back credit card, which in turn requires more discipline than spending on a debit card...

There are no right or wrong choices, but there are fallacies which can distract people from getting the most value from their spend.

Olenna

WillPS said:

Emmia said:

WillPS said:

Emmia said:

WillPS said:

Emmia said:

WillPS said:

Olenna said:

Obviously this should be heavily caveated -  there is proven risk with Barclaycard Avios - BA already devalued Avios to Nectar conversions with little notice. They could further devalue or pull the conversion entirety with zero comeback to the Barclaycard Avios holder as the award is Avios points not Nectar points directly.

You're right, there is a risk, but it can be mitigated by turning on autoconvert. Points are paid out monthly on the second working day, and both times the conversion rate has been nerfed sufficient notice has been provided that points for rewards earned on existing spend to work its way through to Nectar, save for any 'loose change'.

In general all airline rewards will be devalued over time too at the whim of whoever partakes in the scheme. 

I prefer earning straight up Nectar to Avios because the standard redemption rate has been static since the scheme launched over 2 decades ago, but of course they could change that too; I would hope to be given sufficient notice to spend them all if the rate were to change negatively.

Cashback options are available if you prefer - but even then there's nothing to stop your issuer from changing the scheme in any way they like (including withdrawing it completely) so long as they give sufficient notice.

You can only play the cards in your hand.

Personally I prefer cashback to nectar or avios -  I don't really shop in Sainsbury's and don't use airlines that take avios.

You do you, but it's worth pointing out that it's a (very common!) falsehood that you need to shop regularly at Sainsbury's/Argos for Nectar points to be of value. This myth is perpetuated even by MSE's editorial, unfortunately.

All you need is to be able to spend very occasionally at Sainsbury's or Argos - i.e. a trip to a Sainsbury's filling station 2 or 3 times a year, or a purchase of a new phone every few years at Argos (only if they're close to the best price, of course).

I believe you can also purchase branded gift cards at Sainsbury's using Nectar points.

One other advantage of the Nectar Amex over Cashback ones is the very regular payouts with the Nectar Amex (several times a month) vs the very rigid annual Amex payout.

There's definitely pro's and con's to both.

I never buy petrol/diesel (no car) and in the last decade I think I've bought one thing in Argos.

I buy my phones from John Lewis as generally I've found customer service is better. 

So,  for my situation cashback is better for me, but for your situation points are better.

Clearly fuel and phones is not an exhaustive list do you ever spend at any of the many retailers Sainsburys sell gift cards for?

[Clearly the answer is yes, because one of those retailers is John Lewis....]

Gift cards also aren't something I buy, you don't get S.75 protection and if the retailer goes bust, or the card expires you've lost the money. 

If I want to give someone the means to purchase something, I'll give them cash they can spend anywhere.

Personally I prefer cashback over points. If you prefer points, that's great.

Of course, you do you but to the OP and the casual lurker reading, it's important to know that shopping at Sainsburys/Argos anything more than occasionally is not necessary to get full value from Nectar points.

Arguably every single cashback/rewards credit card deal going could be beaten by an average purchase credit card, with stoozing. Obviously there's a lot more discipline required there than there might be with a cash back credit card, which in turn requires more discipline than spending on a debit card...

There are no right or wrong choices, but there are fallacies which can distract people from getting the most value from their spend.

There is also a risk appetite and hassle factor that varies from person to person. 

It's obvious that your setup works for you and you're happy to go out of your way to redeem for the right scheme.
Much like @Emmia I wouldn't value something at Argos as being the same as something at JL.